Bush
And
merica
Bush and Bush's Progress on Some Important Issues of Our Time
There are many things going on at this time on the world news platform. Everything seems in flux. This post is a gut check on our future with Bush at this moment in time with regard to some of the important issues. It is personal and subjective. The connection with truth is just one person's view of things, and it will only be valid to the extent that other people's views are added.
Bush Overall
Bush appears to be on the upswing at this time. His poll numbers are lower than ever, yet there is something noble and presidential about him lately. He seems to be combining persistence with flexibility.
He is sticking with his positions on important issues, but is open to other ways of seeing things. I've listened to him speaking both on and off the cuff, and he is actually more eloquent than ever. He has taken the path of effectiveness. He concedes reality, that he is a lame duck president and that he might not be articulate at times; but he still wields power, and his communicating skills are improving with his self-acceptance. He certainly has a vision for the world, and he is starting to depict it with some skill.
I think this puts Bush in a good position. His poll numbers will rise.
Iraq
Bush is following through with his idea of a troop surge in Iraq despite opposition in America from most Democrats, some Republicans, and many voters. He is listening to the military commanders on the ground. One huge problem lately is American losses of helicopters, along with their personnel.
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The Future
I deliberately deferred some important issues to another time, like immigration.
That said, I sense that the future for Bush will be positive, with some setbacks along the way. Iraq will work out better than expected, although not ideal. Bush's Korean policy will succeed, and even Iran will come around. America will go green, hopefully not hysterically. Because of Bush's rising stature, at home and around the world, the U.S. will even take one last look at some of Bush's overlooked programs, like Social Security.
In short, I believe the worst is over for Bush, and for America. Bush's star is rising. I believe historians will agree that we have just now reached a positive tipping point. They will judge that Iraq was worth it. They will perceive that the world was made a better and safer place thanks to Bush, the American military, and a steadfast diplomacy that can only come after a demonstration of resolve.
Rock
(*Wikipedia is always my source unless indicated.)
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I am reminded that this is exactly how Osama bin Laden, with American help and shoulder fired missiles, drove the Soviets from Afghanistan several years ago. The military, with Bush's blessing, is going to adjust to this new threat, however, unlike the Russians.
Democrats are the ones, I believe, in the untenable position on Iraq. Though the American people are disillusioned with Iraq and want the U.S. to get out, they are becoming aware of the bloody aftermath that will follow if the U.S. leaves. Moderate Democrats have gone on record with their votes and statements that they think the surge will fail. This puts them in the position of having to cheer for American failure in Iraq. They have always cheered for American failure in Iraq, in my opinion; but with these votes, this anti-American sentiment is exposed. Will Ted Kennedy, for example, ever say "Good job!" to Bush if the troop surge works? Never. Kennedy has committed to the failure of the surge, and will be looking for any signs that he has been right.
The Democrats have made the mistake of playing to the polls, instead of doing what is right. The American people will see through this.
If the surge doesn't work, then at least Bush will have tried. If it does work, then the world will be a better place; Democrats will be exposed as the demagogues they are; and Bush's stature will soar.
Nuclear Issues with Korea and Iran
Bush just had a major success with his "stubborn" policy with Korea. Thanks to the arm-twisting of the Chinese, Korea has agreed to stop developing nuclear weapons. This is a major diplomatic success for Bush. Former U.N. ambassador John Bolton, independent as ever, thinks the United States is being bamboozled, much like happened to Clinton, where the North Koreans sign an agreement and then ignore it. In my opinion, though, this time is different, since, thanks to Bush's wisdom, China is included in the enforcement of the agreement; and North Korea does not want to cross China. Here again, the Democrats will not give Bush credit for this historic achievement, but the American people will.
If Bush is lucky, he can turn around now and use much the same tactic with Iran. In this case, with Korea as the model, he can urge the European powers, and Russia, to do the arm-twisting with Iran. This is not so far-fetched as it once seemed now that the Korean situation seems to have been solved.
Putin has been sounding hysterically critical of the U.S. lately, but Bush is not taking the bait. He is not responding in kind to Russia. This is just more evidence that Bush has matured into quite a diplomat as of late. He is acting and sounding presidential on the world stage, and his steadfastness is bearing fruit.
Global Warming
Every day now there is another scientist speaking up that the world is in hysteria about global warming, and that there is no evidence that the warming is caused by mankind's behavior. Yet, the consensus is there that Al Gore is right about the issue. To me, we are in the middle of another Copernicus syndrome. It is as if 75% of the scientists and an even higher percentage of the people were saying the sun revolves around the earth and not vice versa.
All I can do is keep expressing the truth, along with the 25% of the scientists who know what they are talking about.
This is the truth:
The earth may be getting warmer, but not as dramatically as feared. Some ice is melting on the globe, but other ice is thickening. Sea levels may rise, but only inches, and not the twenty feet that Al Gore preaches. Climate change may occur, but this is largely unpredictable. Computer models are highly complex, and bear little resemblance to reality. Plus, the effect of CO2 levels on global warming is not proven. There have been times in earth's history when CO2 levels were higher than now, and the earth was colder at those times than it is now. According to the same scientists who believe in the global warming hysteria, following Kyoto and decreasing CO2 levels will have a negligible effect on global warming anyway.
Unfortunately, Bush is buying in to the hysteria, as most world leaders have. So, we are on the verge of spending billions of dollars on corrective measures that have no guarantee of success. As I've said before, I think we ought to go green, and develop alternative forms of renewable energy, but we ought not to get hysterical about it. The sky is not falling.
Bush is wrong on this one. Let's hope he doesn't become a lemming.
Social Security
The Democrats have successfully demagogued this issue, and it is dead. The left have frightened Americans and especially seniors that privatizing Social Security would mean fewer or less secure benefits, while the opposite is true. Bush never did a good job of explaining this issue to the American people, and it appears as if his time is running out on it.
Capitalism
The Social Security issue is emblematic of Bush's inability to preach capitalism to the people. This is why the socialist left is rising, with people like Nancy Pelosi and Ted Kennedy taking center stage. It would be very easy to use socialist countries as illustrations, for example, of the kind of bureaucratic nightmares that occur with socialized medicine. Bush, the first president in history with an M.B.A., is just not teaching capitalism effectively.